Have you
ever heard of a transportation engineer? Do you know what they do for a living?
These are the people who design the highways, roadways and runways that help us
get to where we need to go. And guess what? They are in demand.
I
recently Googled “careers in engineering” and came across a Web site that lists
careers in STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
Transportation engineer was among a slew of career options listed on the Web
site; some I had heard about, others were new to me. And, next to many of the
career descriptions, in bold yellow letters, were the words “In Demand!” From
nanosytems technologist to wind turbine service technician to statistician,
employers are looking for you.
In demand
are not words we hear a lot in today’s job market. Yet, just below the surface
are opportunities in the life, behavioral and environmental sciences, in
technology, in manufacturing and in engineering that our young people are not
even aware of. What’s more, the focus on curricula that is necessary to prepare
young people to work in these fields is missing at poorly funded schools. While
everybody is looking for a quick fix to America’s job crisis, they need to
start looking at STEM careers and how we can prepare both traditional and
non-traditional students and young adults to qualify for these jobs.
STEM
careers require various levels of educational achievement and specialized
training.
But
aptitude in math appears to be the prevailing prerequisite. Below average math
achievement is the key barrier for African Americans to gaining access to
employment in today’s growth industries. Math achievement gaps have long
defined public education in underserved communities. Now, gaps in educational
achievement once again threaten to exclude African Americans from the economic
benefits.
Education
reform is at the center of the debate over equal access by African Americans to
economic and career opportunities. A focus on STEM education in underserved
communities should be on a list of reforms that include longer school days and
incentives to attract and retain better teachers. A more equitable school
funding formula is also critical to accessing the resources to compete for 21st
Century jobs. The Chicago Urban League is pressing on with its lawsuit to
change the way public schools are funded in Illinois.
We have
to do more than improve our schools, however. We must focus on improving
student outcomes. I applaud Chancellor Cheryl Hyman for leading efforts at the
City Colleges of Chicago to create the “Reinvention” initiative that, among
other things, includes a focus on students who require remediation and helping
them succeed at the college level.
At the
Chicago Urban League, we are adding a STEM component to our NULITES youth
education program to get 6th through 8th graders excited about math, science,
technology and engineering. We have to start talking to young people about
career options long before they are ready to graduate from high school.
Students who participate in our program will explore careers in the fields of
robotics, computer science, medical science, civil engineering and the social
sciences. Whatever path they choose in the end, at least they will have made
their decisions after weighing multiple career options.
So why is
a focus on STEM education and STEM careers important to the Black community? It
is important because these are middle-income, sustainable jobs. Currently,
African Americans represent a larger share of the low-wage service industry
workforce than the better-paying jobs in manufacturing, wholesale and retail
trade, transportation and utilities. Employment data also shows that occupations
with smaller shares of Black men pay higher wages. According to the Economic
Policy Institute in Washington, annual wages for occupations in which Black men
are overrepresented is $37,005 compared to $50,333 for occupations in which
they are underrepresented.
If we are
to STEM the tide of unemployment in the African American community, we have to
be committed to raising our young people’s achievement in math and exposing
them to different types of careers. We must remember the generations before us who litigated, negotiated and
demonstrated so that we could have access to a good education and job
opportunities. Now, it’s our turn to pick up that mantle and be laser-focused
on making sure that we aren’t left out of the recovery.
Andrea L.
Zopp is president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League.
